WAJD-1390

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

What's going on?

In a matter of weeks that license will be canceled unless they've fired up recently and played a legal ID.

Anyone know?

 

[Kmagrill]

When contacted a couple of months ago, Doug Gillen reported that parts were on order to fix the transmitter and his"engineer" was waiting for them to come in so that it could be put back on the air. That was well over 6 weeks ago, however. No word since then. I hope Doug doesn't wait until the license is cancelled, then have to spend a fortune trying to revive it.

 

[Kmagrill]

I just looked up the WAJD record on the FCC website. The silent notification to the FCC was only made on Jul 7, 2009, though I believe that they were off the air for quite a long while before that. Unless someone comes forward with proof that they were actually off the air prior to the notification, they have another 7 months to resume operations.

 

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

Good work my friend!

Yeah, AJD was off from at least Feb. to now.

 

[Greg Strickland]

I believe that is correct- the FCC goes by the silent notification. If someone complains and offers proof the station was off the air before that, the FCC may investigate further.

Those who are interested in the situation should be aware that if the license is cancelled, the FCC will hold the allotment for auction at a later date. It could be years. If someone wants the station they should not assume the FCC will cancel the license and give it to someone else who simply files an application.

It would be much better for some one interested in the station to make a deal with the Gillens to purchase the station, than to hope for cancellation of the license. I am saying take the positive approach if you really want the station.

Also, if the license was cancelled, the FCC might entertain applications from other stations that are presently protecting WAJD's coverage contours. This is because WAJD is not the only station licensed to Gainesville. That would make 1390 in Gainesville go away.

Think good Karma. If someone wants 1390, make an offer, if it is accepted, the station could be yours quickly.

 

[Nostalgia]

Digging a little deeper into the FCC database you will find TWO STA requests. The one referred to earlier filed 7/7/09 was for a "Suspension of Operations" for "technical" reasons and referred to "unknown technical anomaly" with the transmitter. Then there is one dated 10/21/09 for "Suspension of Operatons and request for Silent STA" again for technical reasons and going deeper into their troubles with the transmitter.

In between I did not see any resumption of operations so based on the public record the clock would start running on 7/7/09. I know nothing of this station or the Gillens but as I have stated in other threads about silent stations, it would be a shame to see WAJD simply go away. There is plenty of time to fix their transmitter if in fact that is what the problem is. But if you read enough of these BLSTA's you will see "transmitter failure" most often cited as the cause but sometimes that simply means the transmitter stopped transmitting when the power was cut off ;D

 

[w9wi]

Also, if the license was cancelled, the FCC might entertain applications from other stations that are presently protecting WAJD's coverage contours. This is because WAJD is not the only station licensed to Gainesville. That would make 1390 in Gainesville go away.

Indeed, if the WAJD license were to expire/be canceled, an application for a new license with the same parameters would not be accepted. WAJD is a Class D station -- with no protected nighttime operation. While the FCC will renew existing Class D licenses, they will not issue new ones.

If someone can engineer a directional antenna such that a new 1390 station could run 250 watts or more at night, then a hypothetical new 1390 station could replace a hypothetically expired WAJD. I would not be at all surprised if such an antenna is not possible.

 

[Greg Strickland]

In short- my point is anyone who might want to take over a silent station needs to make a deal with the present licensee, rather than hoping for the license to be cancelled. It will not be easier or less expensive later

 

[jmtillery]

Has anyone contacted Doug Gillen to determine if he is even interested in entertaining offers on WAJD?

 

[Kmagrill]

Has anyone contacted Doug Gillen to determine if he is even interested in entertaining offers on WAJD?

Doug has repeatedly said that he will not sell WAJD by itself. Several reasonable offers have been made over the years, but he'd only sell WAJD as part of a combo with WYKS and he's not actively seeking a buyer.

He has also been presented with several plans over the years to upgrade it to 1kW or 5kW nighttime. The problem is that doing so requires a different tower site and he simply won't put the money into it. Doug does have the money to fix and operate the current station, if he wants to do so. It's my understanding that the transmitter is a Harris and is under 3 years old. He invested $35k into it because the Continental that was there before kept blowing up. He was convinced that the Continental was a bad rig, even though every engineer that I know who has ever worked out there, has told him that the site is the problem, not the transmitter. It's the only AM site that I have ever seen where one can stand in the bottom of the equipment rack and draw a 1 inch arc by touching the top of the rack. RF was so bad, that the optimod 9100a was overloaded, even with transformers on the inputs. Just about every lightning strike blows up something out there. The antenna resistance is something like 16 Ohms and drifts 3 or 4 Ohms over the course of a year (yes, the ground system is intact, I'm told). Really bad site. Really.

Anyway, here used to also be a backup 1kW CCA at the site, but he might have traded it in.

Penny-wise and pound foolish, as my mother used to say.

I would not expect Doug to consider any offer to buy WAJD, but maybe he'd change his mind under the circumstances. It couldn't hurt to ask, I suppose.

 

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

If ya want WAJD, you have to buy WYKS? Anyone have about $8 million they don't know what to do with? I'm assuming that's would Doug would want.

 

[jmtillery]

Has anyone contacted Doug Gillen to determine if he is even interested in entertaining offers on WAJD?

Doug has repeatedly said that he will not sell WAJD by itself. Several reasonable offers have been made over the years, but he'd only sell WAJD as part of a combo with WYKS and he's not actively seeking a buyer.

He has also been presented with several plans over the years to upgrade it to 1kW or 5kW nighttime. The problem is that doing so requires a different tower site and he simply won't put the money into it. Doug does have the money to fix and operate the current station, if he wants to do so. It's my understanding that the transmitter is a Harris and is under 3 years old. He invested $35k into it because the Continental that was there before kept blowing up. He was convinced that the Continental was a bad rig, even though every engineer that I know who has ever worked out there, has told him that the site is the problem, not the transmitter. It's the only AM site that I have ever seen where one can stand in the bottom of the equipment rack and draw a 1 inch arc by touching the top of the rack. RF was so bad, that the optimod 9100a was overloaded, even with transformers on the inputs. Just about every lightning strike blows up something out there. The antenna resistance is something like 16 Ohms and drifts 3 or 4 Ohms over the course of a year (yes, the ground system is intact, I'm told). Really bad site. Really.

Anyway, here used to also be a backup 1kW CCA at the site, but he might have traded it in.

Penny-wise and pound foolish, as my mother used to say.

I would not expect Doug to consider any offer to buy WAJD, but maybe he'd change his mind under the circumstances. It couldn't hurt to ask, I suppose.

Kmagrill... Has an engineering study actually been completed showing WAJD can upgrade night power to either 1kw or 5kw? If so, how many towers and where would the proposed new tower site go? Also what would the pattern look like, e. g., East/West, South, Etc.? And in doing so, would the new proposed night pattern cover all or most of Gainesville?

 

[jmtillery]

If ya want WAJD, you have to buy WYKS? Anyone have about $8 million they don't know what to do with? I'm assuming that's would Doug would want.

Gillen Broadcasting, Inc. paid $1.9 million for both stations in 1987. Since that time, Gillen moved the FM frequency from 105.5 to its current position at 105.3 and installed a newer, taller tower. In addition Gillen expanded the building size and also upgraded the broadcast equipment for WYKS.

I'm not sure what the stations fair market value would be today as much of the value would be derived from positive cash flow. To garner an $8 million price tag, WYKS would need to positvely cash flow a minimal $2 million annually on approximately $3.5 - $4 million in annual billing and collections, depending on which valuation method is used.

 

[ratingsgeek]

If ya want WAJD, you have to buy WYKS? Anyone have about $8 million they don't know what to do with? I'm assuming that's would Doug would want.

Gillen Broadcasting, Inc. paid $1.9 million for both stations in 1987. Since that time, Gillen moved the FM frequency from 105.5 to its current position at 105.3 and installed a newer, taller tower. In addition Gillen expanded the building size and also upgraded the broadcast equipment for WYKS.

I'm not sure what the stations fair market value would be today as much of the value would be derived from positive cash flow. To garner an $8 million price tag, WYKS would need to positvely cash flow a minimal $2 million annually on approximately $3.5 - $4 million in annual billing and collections, depending on which valuation method is used.

And we know WAJD is billing nothing. What's YKS bringing in? A million? So cash flow is what? Maybe $300K? Which makes the combo worth... maybe $2 million? He could be waiting for the "greater fool" to come along...

 

[jmtillery]

If ya want WAJD, you have to buy WYKS? Anyone have about $8 million they don't know what to do with? I'm assuming that's would Doug would want.

Gillen Broadcasting, Inc. paid $1.9 million for both stations in 1987. Since that time, Gillen moved the FM frequency from 105.5 to its current position at 105.3 and installed a newer, taller tower. In addition Gillen expanded the building size and also upgraded the broadcast equipment for WYKS.

I'm not sure what the stations fair market value would be today as much of the value would be derived from positive cash flow. To garner an $8 million price tag, WYKS would need to positvely cash flow a minimal $2 million annually on approximately $3.5 - $4 million in annual billing and collections, depending on which valuation method is used.

And we know WAJD is billing nothing. What's YKS bringing in? A million? So cash flow is what? Maybe $300K? Which makes the combo worth... maybe $2 million? He could be waiting for the "greater fool" to come along...

That's just it. I don't know what WYKS is billing and collecting. My best educated guess would be between $900k and $1.1 million in annual gross billing and collections. I don't know the expenses, but, again, my best guess for net positive annual cash flow would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $400,000. Again, this is only an educated guess on my part.

 

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

$1.1 million is probably a good guess Mark, my estimate of $8 mil. is just pure guessing of what Doug would ask for... who knows the realistic value unless one knows the billing.

My guess payroll wise would be $150,000-$200,000 give or take.

 

[Kmagrill]

Kmagrill... Has an engineering study actually been completed showing WAJD can upgrade night power to either 1kw or 5kw? If so, how many towers and where would the proposed new tower site go? Also what would the pattern look like, e. g., East/West, South, Etc.? And in doing so, would the new proposed night pattern cover all or most of Gainesville?

Actually, what I said was that engineering had been presented showing that it was possible to upgrade. The engineering was not my work and the last time I saw any of it was over a decade ago. He may, or may not, have seen newer versions of the plan and a new study would be required to know if it is still possible. As I recall, the upgraded signal required a 3 or 4 tower array north of Gainesville and would cover the town and points south. The main problem is that the land and antenna system would be expensive.

 

[jmtillery]

After 10-years, someone would definately need to conduct a new feasabilty study to determine if any nighttime power increase is possible. I would imagine with whatever night power may be possible today, that very little, if any, additional signal could be radiated North - North-West in order to protect co-channel WROA Gulfport, Mississippi. WROA has a strange looking nighttime pattern using 8, that's right, 8 towers for a 5,000 watt signal. And, it also appears approximately 80% of WROA's nighttime signal is sent due South over the Gulf of Mexico, reaching into parts of Florida. I remember years ago hearing WROA coming in fairly clear at night in Gainesville after, what was then, WAKA 1390 "14K" signed off the air at sunset.

 

[MN Maniac]

For years, I heard tales of the "8 towers for 5kW" station in Gulfport. When I lived there 5 years ago, I went to take a look for myself. Sure enough, it's for real.

Does anyone know how this came to be? Was this some sort of upgrade (possibly of a graveyarder on 1400) which decided to spend for the upgrade so they could advertise "5,000 watts of power?" I can't imagine it being feasible to absorb the construction costs of 8 sticks for just 5kW so high on the dial.

 

[jmtillery]

For years, I heard tales of the "8 towers for 5kW" station in Gulfport. When I lived there 5 years ago, I went to take a look for myself. Sure enough, it's for real.

Does anyone know how this came to be? Was this some sort of upgrade (possibly of a graveyarder on 1400) which decided to spend for the upgrade so they could advertise "5,000 watts of power?" I can't imagine it being feasible to absorb the construction costs of 8 sticks for just 5kW so high on the dial.

WROA has operated with 8-towers night-time for years. I don't know how many years, but I do know the current antenna configuration and signal pattern has been the same for quite some time. As for moving from 1400 to 1390, most anything is possible, but I have no idea for sure if that is what happened, or if WROA was constructed and operated from Day 1 with its current 8-tower configuration.

Additionally, I haven't listened to WROA in years, but I do remember the last time I did hear it at night, it came in fairly well in many parts of Central and North Central Florida, especially in the Ocala and Gainesville surrounding areas.

I'm not sure exactly what role WROA may play in any night-time upgrades for WAJD, but I'm quite sure WROA will prevent WAJD from radiating very much, if any, night power towards the North and Northwest. WAJD may even be limited into what it can send West towards the Gulf of Mexico in order to avoid any overlap in the two signals over the Gulf.

WOCA-AM 1370 Ocala has the same situation in that it is required to protect co-channel WCOA-AM 1370 Pensacola. WCOA also operates with 5kw using 3-towers at night and sends most of its signal South - Southwest directly into the Gulf and towards Gainesville and Ocala. WOCA can only send 37 watts at night towards Pensacola.

I'm sure WAJD can get a night-time power increase. It's just a matter of how many towers will it take, and how critical the night-time pattern will need to be in order to pull it off.